3.4 - Daleks in Manhattan

Rating

Votes

10

1%

1

9

1%

1

8

5%

5

7

22%

21

6

30%

28

5

21%

20

4

18%

17

3

0%

0

2

1%

1

1

0%

0

Average Rating

5.8

Votes

94

Synopsis

This is the first of a two part story, it is set in 1930's New York. The Doctor and Martha arrive in New York, there is, however, trouble as the Daleks return once again, this time attempting to create a Dalek/Human hybrid creature in the New York sewers! These two episodes also see the return of the Dalek Sec and the Cult of Skaro.

A two part Dalek story begins with this episode where the Doctor and Martha arrive in New York in 1930. The story tells us this is during the great depression with many poor and starving in America. We are shown how a homeless community is gathering in Central Park while the Empire State Building is being built nearby seeming a monument of inequality in such circumstances. We are also introduced to showgirl Tallulah whose boyfriend Laszlo goes missing while she performs in the theatre. Strange half human, half pig creatures are up to something and an unscrupulous manager exploits and pressures workers at the Empire State Building under orders from the new masters of the project - the Daleks. The Cult of Skaro, four Daleks, are all that is left of their race and they are stranded here. Their leader Dalek Sec is coming up with new ideas of how to bring the Daleks back to supremacy.

The plot and ideas contained in this opening episode are interesting and have no major problems. The following episode which concludes this story was less satisfying but this first part is solid and entertaining. The pig slaves are not the greatest monster but we have menacing and impressive Daleks to make up for that. The setting of 1930 New York is great and is very well recreated with good use of effects, costume and atmosphere. The themes of examining the depression and its effect on people is very good and the acting and American accents are excellent. Future Hollywood superstar Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man, Hacksaw Ridge) is excellent as Frank while Hugh Quarshie plays the part of Solomon perfectly. Showgirl Tallulah is well acted and fun with a decent song and dance number, while Laszlo too is endearingly portrayed. Freema Agyeman continues her superb performance as Martha while David Tennant is always great.

The negatives are firstly that the pig slaves and the disappearances in the sewers are not ideal elements of the story. A better, more exciting way of presenting the ideas of Dalek experimentation on humans could have been used. Secondly the Daleks needing humans to put the Dalekanium on the top of the building does not really make sense as if they are willing to fly to Hooverville to attack then they could have flown up at night and affixed the Dalekanium themselves. Overall this is a decent story with many good elements but does not quite reach its full potential. I rate it 7.5/10.

There are many poor episodes in the David Tennant era, but Daleks In Manhattan is rare: it's a truly bad Dalek story. It's hard to mess up the Daleks, but this story couples them into a poorly plotted, badly paced, rushed production that feels like it needed a thousand more rewrites and a lot more time to make it work.

The problem is the plot has about five ideas that could make full stories on their own. It's surprising that Helen Raynor seems to have had no idea how to prune back her story to make it manageable, something especially surprising considering that she was script editor of Doctor Who previous to this. The whole story doesn't know which way to turn, which element to focus upon. It's barely even connects these ideas together, and, therefore, this is a mess structurally. Some of the design ideas feel half-finished, and some of the GCI is so poor, especially considering that stuff from the first revived series looks better than the Manhattan skylines here.

There are good bits - James Strong's direction is fairly good, and some of the acting from the guest cast is good, while Freema Agyeman does her best with possibly the most limited role for Martha throughout her season (barring Blink). But that doesn't excuse the fact that this script is sloppily written and sloppily produced, and is such a waste, considering it's length and the ideas it's got to play with.

On the right day, I'll enjoy this two-parter; it was my first Dalek story and it was unique for me at the time as I had no idea what these creatures were. As previous reviews for this story say, great ideas, poor execution; and I think that is fair to say. The first part is definitely better than the second part. Looking at the New Who as a whole, this may be the weakest Dalek story of New Who, but even then, it does have moments of enjoyment.